Per Mertesacker punctuated his pitch-perfect performances this season for Arsenal with Germany's sole goal in their 1-0 victory over England at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, November 19.

His contributions were not restricted to the attacking end of the field and fans took to Twitter to nominate him for the captain's armband with the Gunners, laud him as one of the best in the world in his position and claim the defeat to Manchester United recently in the Premier League could have been avoided had Mertesacker featured in Arsene Wenger's selection.

The tall centre back was also singled out for praise by his national team manager Joachim Low, who told reporters after the game: 'Per definitely organised our defence and has been a pillar of strength.

'He's known for his stability and his positioning and he's made a step forward since moving to Arsenal,' he concluded, as quoted by the Express.

The highlight of Mertesacker's towering header and a selection of Twitter reactions are below…

Hodgson on Mertesacker goal: "We knew we would have problems at corners. Unfortunately tonight we weren't at our tallest' #eng